Gun-carriage.



No. 719,724. V 'PATENTEDPEBQS, 1903,

r r o. BEHNKE & J. FRIESE.

GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION rmm we. '1, 1002.

no noun.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO BEHNKE AND JOSEF FRIESE, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, AS- SIGNORS TO FRIED. KRUPP, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

GUN-CARRIAGE.

sBEUIFICA'IIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,724, dated. February 3, 1903. Application filed August 7, 1902. Serial No. 118,745. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: the present invention is shown in the accom- Be it known that we, OTTO BEHNKE, repanying drawings in use upon a recoil siegesiding at 36 Bismarckstrasse, and JOSEF' gun, by way of'example, in which drawings- FRIESE, residing at 20 Postallee, Essen-on- Figurelshows thegunin transportposition 55 the-Ruhr, Germany, subjects of the Emperor in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a section on the of Germany, have invented a certain new line 2 2 of Fig. 1 seen from the left, and and useful Improvementin Gun-Oarriages,of Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1

which the following is a specification. also seen from the left.

This invention relates to gun-carriages for The gun-barrel A is guided in a slide-track 6c 10 portable large-caliber recoil-guns. b of the cradle B through the medium of Various modes have heretofore been adoptrings a, which cradle contains a recoil-brake ed for transporting the barrels of portable and a recuperator device. The cradle Bis guns of very large calibers. Several of these mounted through the medium of a vertical methods may be briefly recited. trunnion, (not shown in the drawings,) which 65 First. The gun barrels were mounted is pivotally fitted in a trunnion-bearing of through means of hoisting mechanism upon the saddle O. The fork of the saddle 0 carspecial auxiliary transport-carriages. ries two horizontal trunnionsc, which rest Second. The gun-barrels remained during in the trunnion-bearings D of the carriagetransportation in the trunnion-bearings of cheeks E. A trail-plate F, connecting the 70 the carriage, in which case special means, carriage-cheeks E, carries a limber-eye G,

such as endless rails, hadto be provided for which in the limbered-up position of the gun reducing the specific pressure between the engages over a limber-pin H of the limber J. carriage-wheels and the ground. 7 Below the end of the cradle 13 and upon the Third. Gun-barrels were in limbered-up inner faces of the carriage cheeks E are 75 guns raised out of the trunnion-bearings and formed two bearings K, designed for the rerestedin special marching-bearings of the carception of the transverse rail L. Upon the riage, in which last-named case speciallyflanges e of the carriage-cheeks E and upon erected elevating means, corresponding to the that portion of the carriage-trail which lies great weight of such gun-barrels, had to be adjacent to the trail-plate F is bolted an 80 carried along. The carrying outof this plan, angle-plate M N, whose flange N, projecting with heavy-caliber recoil-guns naturally beperpendicularly to the carriage-trail, is procomes .a correspondingly greaterundertakvided with two bores at. Upon the upper ing, because the cradle has to be removed face of the plate M, resting upon the carfrom the trunnion-bearings with the guu-barriage-trail, is a rib m, extending parallel to 85 rel and set into the marching-bearings. the axis of the bore of the gun. In the firing The presentinvention aims to entirely disposition the carriage-trail F rests upon the pense with special transporting accessories ground and the several guiding-rings a are (transportation-carriages, endless rails, and in engagement with the slide-track b of the elevating mechanism of large capacity) in cradle B. The ends of the part b of the re- 90 4o transportation of heavy-caliber recoil=-guns coil-brake, which runs back with the gunand to distribute the weight of the barrel as barrel, (brake-cylinders or piston-rods,) prouniformly as possible over the wheels of the ject through corresponding bores of a born 0 carriage and of the limber. The present inof the breech-piece of the gun and are coupled vention accomplishes this purpose by having therewith. 5 the gun-barrel when the gun is limbered up If the gun is to be transported, it is first uncoupled from the recoil-brake, and the relimbered up by engaging the limber-eye G cuperatordrawn rearwardly on its slide-track over the limber-pin H of the limber J. The beyond the extreme limit of recoil and contransverse rail L is then placed in its bearnected with the carriage-trail in its retracted ings K in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2, [00 position. i and the cradle is turned downward by the The apparatus required for carrying out elevating mechanism (not shown in the drawings) to a sufficient extent tocause its rear end to rest upon the transverse rail L and the elevating mechanism to be released. Then the coupling between the horn O of the gun-breech and the recoiling parts I) of the recoil-brake is released. The gun-barrel is now retracted in the slide track I) on the cradle through the medium of a suitable block and tackle or the like to such a distance that only the foremost ring a remains in engagement with the slide-track. Finally the gun-barrel is connected with the flange N of the angle-plate M N by means of two bolts passed through the bores 0 and n in the horn O and angle-plate M N, respectively, and nuts upon said bolts.

The plate M of the angle-plate is of such a length that the horn O of the gun-breech will rest upon the same before the middle ring a of the gun-barrel leaves the slide-track in drawing the gun-barrel rearwardly. This arrangement serves the purpose of preventing tipping of the gun-barrel, which would be disadvantageous to the slide-track. The horn O of the gun-breech carries upon its under rear end a recess 0', corresponding to the section of the rib m of angle-plate M, which recess engages over said rib m when the gun-barrel is retracted into its transport position. In this manner the gun-barrel is directed in a straight line with the slide-track, notwithstanding it has but one guiding-ring a remaining in engagement with said slide-track.

Having thus described the invention, the following is what is claimed as new therein:

1. A portable, large-caliber,recoil-gun,having detachable connection with the parts controlling its recoil,adapted to be retracted upon its mount, withoutdismountingits trunnions, and having means for securing it in its retracted position.

2. A portable, large-caliber, recoil-gun, mounted through the medium of a slide-track having detachable connection with the parts controlling its recoil, retractable upon its slidetrack rearwardly into a position to distribute the load over the wheels of the carriage, and of the limber, and means for securing it in its retracted position.

3. A portable, large-caliber, recoil gun, mounted upon its carriage through the medium of a slide-track, and having detachable means for connecting it with its recoil mechanism, a bearing for the breech end of said gun on the trail of the mount, said gun being retractable and having means for securing it upon said bearing.

4. A portable, largecaliber, recoil gun, mounted upon its carriage through the medium of a slide-track, and having detachable means for connecting it with its recoil mechanism, a bearing, consisting of an angle-plate with an upwardly-projecting flange, for the breech end of said gun on the trail of the mount, said gun being retractable and having means for securing it upon said vertical flange of said bearing.

5. In a portable, heavy-caliber, recoil-gun, the combination of a suitable gun provided with a cradle containing a recoil-brake and a recuperator device, together with a slidetrack; a gun-barrel mounted through the medium of rings on said slide-track, and having detachable connection with the recoil-brake and recuperator device; an angle-plate on the trail of the gun-mount having a longitudinal rib, and a vertical perforated flange; said gun being retractable upon its slide-track, formed with a recess on its under rear end engaging in the longitudinal rib on the angle-plate, and having means for detachably connecting it to the vertical flange of said angle-plate, substantially as set forth.

The forgoing specification signed at Dusseldorf, Germany, this 24Eth day of July, 1902.

OTTO BEHNKE. Y JOSEF FRIESE. In presence of WILLIAM ESSENWEIN, PETER LIEBER. 

